The Unwind Escapes Hunter Valley Day Trip
The best organic wineries, farm-to-table restaurants, and craft distilleries,a self-guided itinerary from the Central Coast
A stay at Unwind Escapes and a day in the Hunter Valley is one of the best combinations on the Central Coast. Wake up in a safari tent overlooking a redwood grove, spend the day tasting organic wines and eating food grown metres from your table, then come home to a fire pit, a bottle you picked up at the cellar door, and stars you will not see from the city.
Drive yourselves and take it at your own pace, or go all in with a private Mercedes-Benz van and a local guide who handles everything. Either way,we put this itinerary together for our guests, with venues that share the same values we built our property around. Here is the full day.
Designated driver tip: If everyone wants to taste, book a guided tour with one of our recommended operators below,they will pick you up, handle the driving, and tailor the day to your group. For the ultimate experience, ask Hunter Valley Wine Tours about their luxury Mercedes-Benz van option.
Prefer a Guided Experience?
If you would rather leave the car behind and have someone else handle the logistics, these boutique operators align perfectly with the Unwind ethos. Small groups, no crowds, and a focus on quality over quantity.
Hunter Valley Wine Tours
Boutique cellar doors, aged vintages, and organic wines. Unhurried and educational,you take the time to actually appreciate the wine.
Half day $140pp | Full day $179pp | Couples $600 | Luxury Van $1,400
Hunter Wine Journeys
Run by locals Tony and Lisa. Private, intimate experiences at family-run cellar doors. Small buses, flexible itineraries.
Half day from $100pp | Full day from $200pp | Private from $750
Tastes of the Hunter
For serious foodies. Customisable tours spanning wine, craft beer, artisan cheese, and chocolate. Quality Tourism Accredited.
Shared wine tour $150pp | Wine & beer tour $135pp
The Itinerary
Morning,Grounded in NatureKick off the day before the crowds arrive. Head straight for the vineyards that put the earth first,biodynamic, organic, and focused on letting the land speak for itself.
Krinklewood Biodynamic Vineyard
This is arguably the most relaxing cellar door in the Hunter Valley. Entirely certified organic and biodynamic, Krinklewood feels like an exclusive retreat rather than a winery. French-provincial gardens, roaming peacocks, and a stillness that perfectly bridges the gap between the wild nature of Dooralong and premium wine country. If you visit on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, their on-site trattoria Cezan is open for food as well.
Tamburlaine Organic Wines
If you are heading straight to the main Pokolbin hub, Tamburlaine is a must. They are Australia's largest producer of organic wines with a massive focus on sustainable farming. The tasting experience is friendly, educational, and completely unpretentious,open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm.
358 McDonalds Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
Audrey Wilkinson
For guests seeking historic charm, this is the pinnacle. First planted in 1866, Audrey Wilkinson is perched on a foothill of the Brokenback Mountain Ranges with unmatched 360-degree views across the valley. We recommend booking a seated premium tasting to avoid standing at a crowded bar,it is worth the small extra investment for the experience alone.
750 De Beyers Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
Our pick: Start at Krinklewood if you want the most peaceful, nature-immersive experience. If you prefer to stay closer to the Pokolbin hub and maximise your time, start at Tamburlaine and walk next door to the other cellar doors nearby.
Sustainability does not stop at the cellar door. Lunch should highlight hyper-local produce and zero-mile dining,the kind of food philosophy our guests appreciate.
Margan Restaurant
Margan is the pioneer of agri-dining in the Hunter Valley. They operate with an "estate grown, estate made" ethos,a one-hectare kitchen garden, estate-raised lamb, and free-range chickens all feed directly into the menu. It is premium dining, but grounded in agricultural reality. If you care about where your food comes from, there is no better lunch in the region.
1238 Milbrodale Road, Broke NSW 2330
Bistro Molines
For couples looking for pure romance and historic European charm, Bistro Molines is the answer. Perched high on a hill surrounded by vineyards, it feels like a secret countryside escape in the south of France. The menu is built around slow, relaxed dining,the kind of lunch where you forget what time it is.
Hunter Belle Cheese
For guests who want a casual, picnic-style lunch without a formal sit-down. Grab an artisanal ploughman's platter from the cheese room, find a spot under the shady trees with the Brokenback Range as your backdrop, and just breathe. Simple, local, and perfectly unhurried.
1616 Broke Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
Finish the day with craft makers who care about their ingredients just as much as the winemakers you visited this morning.
Hunter Distillery
A slam dunk for the eco-conscious. Hunter Distillery is the only locally owned distillery in the region and was the first 100% certified organic distillery in Australia. They use organic raw ingredients for their award-winning Valli Vodkas and Copperwave Gin. The tasting experience is fun and interactive,spirits served in test tubes,and completely aligns with sustainable values.
1686 Broke Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
IronBark Hill Brewing Co.
The perfect spot to wind down the day. Unlike the massive commercial breweries in the area, IronBark Hill is a working craft brewery nestled right among the wine tanks at Peter Drayton Wines. Grab a tasting paddle of preservative-free craft beer and sit in the open-air pavilion overlooking the vines. It is the kind of place where an afternoon quietly turns into early evening.
Worth Adding to Your Day
Tulloch Wines
If you have time for one more stop, Tulloch is a fantastic addition. They offer structured but unpretentious tastings, including great pairings with local chocolates or charcuterie. It is a very welcoming environment for couples or small groups looking to decompress,relaxed, flexible, and never rushed. Open seven days.
Getting There From Unwind Escapes
The Hunter Valley is about an hour's drive north-west of our property in Dooralong Valley. Head through Cessnock and you are right in the heart of wine country.
- Pokolbin (main hub): Approximately 55 minutes via the M1 and Cessnock
- Broke Fordwich (quieter side): Approximately 1 hour 10 minutes via Cessnock or Wollombi
- Mount View: Approximately 1 hour via the Expressway and Mount View Road
Planning tip: If you want to visit both Broke Fordwich (Krinklewood, Margan) and Pokolbin (Tamburlaine, Audrey Wilkinson, Hunter Distillery), start at Broke in the morning and work your way south-east to Pokolbin for the afternoon. The drive between the two is about 25 minutes through beautiful countryside.
The Best Part of the Day Trip
A day in the Hunter is brilliant,but the real magic is what you come home to. Pull back into the Dooralong Valley as the sun drops behind the ridgeline, crack open that bottle you picked up at the cellar door, and let the rest of the evening happen around the fire pit. No rush, no reservations, no driving anywhere. Just you, the stars, and a glass of something good.
That is the whole point of staying at Unwind Escapes. The day trip is the adventure,but your glamping accommodation is where you actually unwind. Wake up in the dome with the valley stretched out in front of you, spend the day exploring wine country, then come back to a fire pit under dark skies, native bush on all sides, and absolutely nothing you need to do. Split a bottle, toast some marshmallows, and let the quiet do the rest.
Written by Riley Mackillop
Founder of Unwind Escapes. Riley built the property from the ground up starting with a single bell tent in 2022. He now runs five unique glamping stays in the Dooralong Valley, Central Coast NSW.